


Buggin' Out

by snorsii



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bugs & Insects, Chaos Ensues, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Shitty Motels, i guess, i have no idea what else to tag this as, junkrat has a phobia of beetles, roadhog loves them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 17:49:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7542187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snorsii/pseuds/snorsii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Junkrat could handle being held at gunpoint with no ounce of fear coursing through his scrawny body, but the minute an insect larger than a pill bug was anywhere within a two foot radius of him, it was full blown panic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Buggin' Out

Being wanted criminals meant never staying in one place for too long. Many a night were spent in shitty, worn down motels on the edges of towns not listed on maps or in old abandoned buildings while avoiding legions of authorities and other unwanted groups. Needless to say, neither option was the most luxurious, but it sure as hell beat sleeping out in the open or in a jail cell.

As expected, though, these places didn't live up to the highest cleanliness standards: Stained carpets, threadbare sheets, mold and dirt caked onto walls and barely hidden behind subpar furnishings. Not that any of it mattered. As long as it had a bed and management who cared more about money than letting two, questionable men covered in grime and blood and God knows what else stay in their _fine_ establishment, the two Junkers would take whatever they could get.

The only thing that was a common problem was bugs.

Junkrat could handle being held at gunpoint with no ounce of fear coursing through his scrawny body, but the minute an insect larger than a pill bug was anywhere within a two foot radius of him, it was full blown panic. They were _nasty_ and _everywhere_ , and he was not opposed to setting an entire room on fire to rid the world of a cockroach. No bug was useful to the betterment of the world in his eyes, and the sooner they all dropped out of existence, the better.

Roadhog, on the other hand, had a distinct fondness for anything small and "cute". Which, much to Junkrat's dismay, included beetles and moths and spiders and every other disgusting, buggy creature that had decided to room with them. He'd been automatically chosen as the one to rid the room of them whenever one was spotted, but due to said fondness, he never _killed_ the fuckers. Instead, he'd scoop them up and drop them _directly_ outside of their room. This always ended with Jamie camping out in front of the door with a can of bugspray and a lighter, paranoid that it would come back in for revenge, rambling on and on throughout the night about how he wouldn't hesitate to use extreme force on it should it dare to reenter their room.

They never do, and Junkrat spends the entire next day complaining about how tired he is.

Tonight was one of those nights. The Junker pair had checked into another slimy motel room, weary from yet another day chock full of the usual anarchy and hell bringing. Almost immediately after setting foot into their lodgings, Junkrat had haphazardly flung all of his belongings on top of a solitary, grimy armchair, while Roadhog quickly cut in to scold him on not throwing live explosives across the room unless he wanted to get the both of them killed. The other shrugged and made a nondescript noise, flinging himself onto the dusty bed with as much regard as he had given his bombs, burying his sooty face into the pillow, further staining it.

"Take your prosthetics off," Roadhog said from the other side of the room, putting more care and attentiveness into where his belongings went. "Or they're gonna hurt tomorrow."

Junkrat made another noise, this time muffled from the pillow, but complied, rolling over onto his back and making an effort to sit up to reach his fake leg for removal, but froze as soon as his eyes caught onto something on the wall across from him, slowly climbing upwards towards the ceiling. It was about half the size of his thumb, black like the hellish nightmare void it must've crawled out of, and _oh my God it was disgusting who allowed them to get that big who **allowed** it what sin did humanity exact to deserve this punishment?_

Roadhog must've noticed the abnormal silence coming from his partner and turned around. He was met with Jamie staring in sheer terror at the wall, and his eyes followed the others line of sight until he spotted the beetle, still making its way up the wall, oblivious to the two. He'd never really understood Jamie's phobia. After all, he'd grown up in a radiated wasteland where there were much more gruesome and terrifying things than a simple beetle, but he wasn't about to make fun of the younger man for it. He was being paid to keep him safe, and that's what he was going to do, even if "safe" meant a bug free environment.

Not for the first time, Roadhog questioned every decision that led him to this moment. "I got it."

"Use your gun." Junkrat whispered back, pushing himself quietly backwards until his back was against the wall, putting as much space between himself and the monstrosity as possible. "Blow it to pieces, 'Hog, before it gets me." His voice was genuinely panicked, eyes wide, and Roadhog was pretty sure 'Rat hadn't blinked since spotting it.

"We're not killing it." Instead, 'Hog turned back around, rummaging through a bag of mismatched belongings until he procured a thermos filled with what he could only assume was week old coffee. Ridding it of its contents into a trash can, as that was closer than the sink and he wanted to avoid 'Rat freaking out further, the larger Junker made his way towards the tiny demon, who had halted all progress and was simply idly twitching its antennae. Roadhog thought it was cute, but every second he took to appreciate it was another second in which his companion was contemplating setting the room on fire, and they really did not need the extra heat of arson on them right now.

Junkrat had been mumbling to himself during this process, but now was silent as he watched his bodyguard approach the wall, gnawing away at his painted nails nervously. The fucker was _big_ , and it looked like it could probably fly. "Do y'think it can fly, 'Hog?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "Of course it can. Don't let it fly. If it comes near me none of us are makin' it outta here alive."

He continued to ramble on until Roadhog cut him off. "I won't let it fly." His head turned to look at Jamie, who gave him a nod, though he didn't look any more assured than before. Taking care not to alert the beetle to his movements, Roadhog moved the thermos delicately towards it, and with one quick motion scooped it into the container, covering the opening with the lid to prevent its escape. Junkrat immediately bolted upright, orange eyes scanning every inch of the wall.

"Didya get it?" He frantically asked, not trusting what he'd seen. Bugs were _never_ trust them. "Please tell me you got it."

Roadhog nodded, holding the canister out in front of him as proof. "Got him."

Jamie let out a relieved sigh before laughing, letting all the tension in his body _fuck_. Get rid of it before it escapes, Hoggy." He said, to which Roadhog complied with, making his way towards the door, unlocking and opening it in a few swift motions. The door fell shut behind him as he exited, which was for the best; if the beetle flew back into the room he knew all hell would break loose. Roadhog let out a heavy sigh from behind his mask, unscrewing the thermos lid and-

Shit.

'Hog turned the canister upside down, hoping with everything in him that the bug would tumble out, but getting no such result. There was no way it could've escaped, which meant the only answer to its disappearance was that he had failed to capture it in the first place. The great "One Man Apocalypse" had let a fucking _beetle_ slip through his grasp without noticing. Which, more important than his damaged pride, also meant it was still in the motel room with Jamie.

Almost on cue, there was a familiar scream coming from the room, followed by a sharp _thud_. Roadhog whipped around, nearly ripping the door off its hinges while in the process of opening it, greeted by the sight of Junkrat standing on the mattress, holding the bedside lamp in his hands, ripped free from its cord, eyes darting wildly around the room. They eventually landed back on the larger Junker, and boy, 'Rat looked positively _livid_.

"You told me you had it!" He yelled, voice shrill, pointing the lamp accusingly at his bodyguard. "It flew to me on the bed! It was 'bout ready to poison me! I saw its fangs!" Roadhog didn't bother explaining to him that the beetle probably didn't have an ounce of poison in it, let alone fangs, but instead shut the door, eyes scanning the room for any signs of movement. 'Rat must've scared it off when he'd moved, which was only going to make things harder.

"Did you see where it went?"

"Fuck no!" Junkrat was still standing on the bed, ready to decimate the insect menace should it dare to come near him again. "I was busy fending for me life, mate, not lookin' at that.... _thing_." His facial features displayed the utmost disgust Roadhog thought he'd ever seen on the other's face. Again, he didn't mention that the beetle was probably the least life threatening thing in the room, and instead continued his search. Roadhog had made it to the opposite end of the bed when he heard a buzzing sound, followed by another startled scream coming from his partner in crime.

"It's there!" He yelled out, pointing at the chair he'd thrown his explosives onto earlier in the night, revealing the location of their sneaky friend. "Now's our chance, Roadie, we just gotta set those off and BOOM! It'll be gone and we'll be safe! No more bugs!" A series of near-hysteric laughs came from him, and 'Hog knew he wasn't joking in the least about using half his weight in bombs to get rid of a single bug.

"Jamie, calm down." Roadhog said, knowing that would, in fact, not calm the other down in the least.

"No," Junkrat replied, not taking his eyes off the foul creature, dropping the lamp onto the bed. "I'm killing it, and you can't stop me." He went to leap off the bed, but 'Hog was quicker, darting towards the bed and grabbing at 'Rat's good leg, causing him to fall face first onto the mattress again with an agitated yelp.

"We ain't dyin' 'cus you're scared of a _bug_." Roadhog sternly said, keeping his grip around Jamie's leg as he squirmed around, making a slew of short, screaming noises, desperately trying to free himself from the larger mans grasp to no avail. "Hold still or you're gonna scare it off."

Then he heard the buzzing again, and Junkrat fell completely silent.

"'Hog." Junkrat whispered, turning his face to look at him. "Please tell me it's still there."

Roadhog couldn't, because it wasn't. Junkrat's face dissolved into terror again, and his struggling continued. 'Hog let go of his leg, trying to hone in on where the buzz was coming from while Jamie scrambled off the bed and onto his feet once more. "You should've just let me blow it to pieces! It would be long gone by now if you'd have listened to me, ya big oaf!" 'Rat continued to yell obscenities, glowering at his partner the entire time and not paying attention to his surrounding. He should have been, however, as once more his speech halted completely, causing Roadhog to finally look back at the shorter man.

Perched right by his hairline was the beetle, completely unaware of everything going on around it. Junkrat's eyes widened in horror, still locked onto Roadhog, not daring to breath or move or _anything_ because his worst nightmares had just come true. His entire mind was filled with thoughts of regrets for every misdeed he'd done, for every crime he'd committed, for every milk tea he'd left unfinished. This was how his life was ending, staring at his big beautiful bodyguard, beads of sweat forming on his skin as he waited for the monster to strike and rip through his skull and enter his brain, killing him slowly.

"Jamie," Roadhog said, voice even and calm and _how could he stay so calm while watching him die_? "Don't mo-"

Roadhog didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Junkrat flung his arm upward, screeching out what 'Hog could only assume to be some kind of battle cry, smacking much too harshly at his forehead and knocking the black hell beast from its position.

It fell from Jamie's face.

And directly into his open mouth.

Junkrat's brain, tired and overworked and stressed the absolute _fuck_ out, just wanted the thing dead. It sent out the message for him to bite down, and before he could process this thought, let alone stop it, it had happened. 'Rat chomped down, heard the sickening crunch of the bug snapping in half between his sharp teeth, felt something _oozing_. All while Roadhog just stared at him, not fully comprehending what he'd just witnessed but somehow not shocked that it happened.

They were both silent for a long while, ogling each other.

Then Junkrat caught up with what had just transpired. His eyes went wide, then a second later he was darting into the bathroom, twisting the sink faucet on with such extreme vigor it nearly snapped off. Roadhog didn't move, didn't even look away from the spot his companion had been standing in, because honestly he could not fucking believe Junkrat had just killed a beetle by crushing it with his teeth. All he heard were the sounds of 'Rat spitting into the sink, making distressed groaning noises, followed by what he could only assume was vomiting. After a few minutes it all stopped; the water shut off, and he heard Jamie fall onto the floor. It was only then that 'Hog moved, worried the other might've fainted and cracked his head open, and was greeted with the sight of the other Junker curled up into a fetal position on the grimy ceramic tiles.

"Am I dead?" Junkrat muttered out, eyes still wide open and focused on the bathroom wall. It didn't even sound like a question; it was more of a statement made by a man too broken by the cruelties of the world to care anymore.

"Unfortunately, no." Roadhog replied, bending over to scoop the other up into his arms. It didn't even phase Jamie, and he continued to stare off into the distance, still trying to curl in on himself.

"Can you kill me?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Junkrat let out an odd, high pitched whining noise, burying his face into his hands. "Roadie, please."

"No."

"What just happened? Why did it happen?" He sounded genuinely distressed, and Roadhog walked him over to the bed, plopping down onto it while still cradling 'Rat.

"You ate a beetle." Roadhog replied simply. "I don't know why, but you did."

Hearing that must've broken something inside Junkrat, and he began hysterically laughing, running his hands through his hair. "I ate," He began, nearly choking on his own laughter as he tried to speak. "I ate a _beetle_?" After that, Junkrat merely continued cackling until he felt like his lungs would cave in on themselves. Eventually his hysteria wore down, and he was left to peer at Roadhog's masked face.

"You gonna be okay?" The larger man finally spoke up, adjusting his hold on the other. Junkrat nodded, letting his head fall back against his arms. "Good." Roadhog took that as an invitation to let himself sink backwards onto the bed, letting the lanky Junker slide out of his arms and land beside him on their bed. 'Rat wasted no time in curling himself directly up to 'Hog, using one of his bodyguard's outstretched arms as a pillow and latching onto his side, hugging as much of him as he could in their awkward position.

"I never wanna see another bug again." Junkrat murmured, feeling like everything that had just went down was nothing more than a dream. "Ever."

Roadhog chuckled, low and heavy in agreement. "Me neither."

**Author's Note:**

> one (1) time I ate a cheese-dust coated, dead cricket, and my girlfriend now tells everyone she meets that I eat bugs. so this is all her fault.


End file.
